Pocket knife



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od. s; 1957 POCKET KNIFE Filed June 8, 1954 *WIZMMA /l ffys.

United States Patent G POCKET KNIFE Ernst Lohr, Junior and Karl Lohr,Solingen-Ohlgs, Germany Application June 8, 1954, Serial No. 435,253

3 Claims. (Cl. 341-159) The invention relates to pocket knives, and moreparticularly to that type of pocket knife wherein a blade is arranged tobe sprung into open position by a coiled compression spring in the bodythereof.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction ofpocket knife comprising a housing, spaced parallel wall plates in saidhousing, a pivot pin secured in transverse position through the wallplates, said wall plates each having a slot formed approximatelytangentially to and at a spacing from the pivot pin, a tanged bladecarried on the pivot pin, a spiral compression spring disposed betweenthe parallel wall plates and housed in the slots thereof so as to lieapproximately tangentially to the pivot pin, said slots and spring beingso positioned in the wall plates that the spring is axially compressedby the blade when the blade is moved into closed position within thehousing, and spring-loaded catch means in the housing arranged to coactwith the tang of the blade to retain the blade in open and closedpositions.

An example of construction of a pocket knife in accordance with theinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l shows the pocket knife in plan view; Figure 2 shows the sameview but with one outer side plate removed; Figlre 3 is a similarillustration in plan view after removal of an outer side plate and thecorresponding interior wall plate; Figure 4 shows, under the sameconditions as Fig. 3, the pocket knife with the blade in the openposition; Figure 5 shows an edge view, with the blade in the openposition; Figure 6 shows a section on the line a-a in Figure 3.

In this drawing, 1 designates the tanged blade, which is pivotablymounted on a transverse pivot pin 2 secured in a housing formed byinterior wall plates 3 and external side plates 4.

A two armed catch lever 6, 11 is mounted between the interior wallplates 3 and is pivotable about a pivot pin 5. One arm 6 of the leverhas at its free end a shoulder 7 which, in the closed position of theblade, engages against an abutment 8 on the tang of the blade andthereby locks the latter in the closed position. For the purpose oflocking the blade 1 in its open position the tang 9 has an abutmentdening one side of a recess 10 into which recess the shoulder 7 canengage. 11 denotes the other arm of the two-armed lever, which projectsout of the pocket knife housing to form a nger grip 12. The finger grip12 forms one of a pair with a stationary linger grip 13, forming part ofa xed block secured between the wall plates 3, and the arm 11 of thelever to urge the lever into the position in which its shoulder 7engages with the abutments of the tang. The spring 17 is seated in twosimilar slots 15 provided in the two wall plates 3.

The wall plates 3 also have similar slots 14 arranged approximatelytangentially to the pivot pin 2 and at a spacing therefrom, said slotsreceiving a spiral compression spring 16 which is axially compressed bythe blade as the latter moves into closed position, and which serves ,toeject the blade into open position.

Starting from the closed position of Figs. 1 to 3, if the two fingergrips elements 12, 13 are pressed together by the user, the two-armlever 6, 11 is pivoted about its pivot pin 5 and the shoulder 7 isbrought out of engagement with the abutment 8 of the tang. This freesthe blade which is ejected into open position by the action of thepreviously compressed spring 16. When the blade reaches open position,the shoulder 7 on the two-arm lever is urged into the recess 10,'by theaction of the spring 17 on the other arm 11, and thereby serves to lockthe blade in open position. For closing the blade, the finger gripelements 12, 13 are again pressed together to free the shoulder 7 fromthe recess 10, whereafter the blade can be pushed manually into closedposition against the action of the ejector spring 16.

We claim:

1. A pocket knife comprising a housing, spaced parallel wall plates insaid housing, a pivot pin secured in transverse position through thewall plates; said wall plates each having a slot formed approximatelytangentially to and at the same spacing from said pivot pin, a tangedblade carried on the pivot pin, aspiral compression spring disposedbetween the parallel wall plates and housed in the slots thereof so asto lie approximately tangentially to the pivot pin, said slots andspring being so positioned in the wall plates that the spring is axiallycompressed by the blade when the blade is moved into closed positionwithin the housing, and spring-loaded catch means in the housingarranged to coact with the tang of the blade to retain the blade in openand closed positions.

2. A pocket knife comprising a housing, spaced parallel wall plates insaid housing, a pivot pin secured in transverse position through thewall plates, a tanged blade carried on the pivot pin and having twoabutments on its tang, said wall plates each having a slot formedapproximately tangentially to and at the same spacing from said pivotpin, a spiral compression spring disposed between the parallel wallplates and housed in the slots thereof so as to lie approximatelytangentially to the pivot pin, said slots and spring being so positionedin the Wall plates that the spring is axially compressed by the bladewhen the blade is moved into closed position within the housing, asecond pivot pin secured in transverse position through the wall platesin spaced relationship with respect to the first pivot pin, a two-armedcatch lever pivotably carried on said second pivot pin and having at theend of one of its arms a shoulder to engage selectively with one of theabutments to retain the blade in open position and with the other of theabutments to retain the blade in closed position, and spring meansdisposed in the housing and arranged to act between the housing andcatch lever for urging the latter into a position in which its shoulderengages with the abutments of the blade.

3. A pocket knife comprising a housing, spaced parallel wall plates insaid housing, a rst pivot pin secured in transverse position through thewall plates,V a tanged blade carried on the pivot pin and having twoabutments on its tang, said wall plates each having a slot formedapproximately tangentially to and at the same spacing from said pivotpin, a spiral compression spring disposed between the parallel wallplates and housed in the slots thereof so as to lie approximatelytangentially to the pivot pin, said slots and spring being so positionedin the wall plates that the spring is axially compressed by the bladewhen the blade is moved into closed position withinthe housing, a secondpivot pin secured in transverse position through the wall plates inspaced relationship with respect to the first pivot pin, a two-armedcatch lever pivotably carried on said second pivot pin and having at theend of one of its arms a shoulder to engage selectively with one of theabutments to retain the blade in closed position and with the other ofthe abntments to retain the blade in open position, the end of the otherarm of the lever projecting externally of the housing to form a firstfinger-grip element, a fixed block secured in .the housing between theWall plates adjacent the other arm of the two-arm lever, and having aportion projecting externally of the housing to form a secondfinger-grip element adjacent to but spaced from the rst such element,and a second spiral compression spring arranged between said block andthe other arm of the two-armed lever to urge the lever into the positionin which its shoulder engages with the abutments of the blade.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

